Game: Astlibra Revision
Genre: Action, Adventure, RPG, Strategy
System: Nintendo Switch (also on Steam (Windows))
Developer|Publisher: KEIZO| WhisperGames
Age Rating: EU 16+ | US 17+
Price: US $24.99 | UK £19.49 | EU €24,99
Release Date: November 16th, 2023
Review code provided with many thanks to Pr Hound.
Astlibra Revision is 2023’s Mightiest Hidden Gem
On the surface, Astlilbra Revision is not a game that will necessarily catch your eye when doing a weekly scan of eShop releases on Nintendo Switch. However, my interest peaked when it popped up on my Steam page on PC and happened to have an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ rating. But what could possibly be so awesome about a 2D RPG with hack-and-slash combat? Turns out quite a bit, actually. Created by a solo developer, Astlilbra Revision is the video game definition of a passion project. Astlibra Revision is a game created with limited resources. Still, the developer sure created something special, and it certainly deserves not to be lost in the abyss of the eShop.
And Then This Happened
Astlibra Revision’s plot is an unusual one. You play a nameless protagonist who begins the game awakening in a cabin after being attacked by a gigantic monster and separated from your gal pal. The only thing to keep you company is a talking bird called Karon, who insists he is not a crow (but sure looks like one). But being isolated with the bird gets old quickly, so the boy sets off to find civilization. A journey that ends up taking eight years. From there, you take on missions for various NPCs and try to find your friend and your home. This really only scratches the surface of the plot.
This story goes in some unexpected directions, including time travel. I found myself being surprisingly sucked into each of the back stories of various NPCs as you tried to solve their woes. In my mind, I kept thinking, ‘and then this happened.’ This is not a negative but an impressive commitment to the developers’ passion. There are some flaws. English is clearly not the developers’ first language, and some dialogue doesn’t translate too well. But to accomplish the emotional beats that it does is an impressive feat.
Hack, Slash and Level Up
This is an action RPG of the hack-and-slash variety, which is pretty simple to pick up. Just smash your way through the enemies, collecting all the delicious loot that they drop on the floor. You will quickly be drip-fed new mechanics with tutorials. You can block, attack, back dash, fling your weapon at enemies and even cast some cool little spells. Done by holding a button and inputting the correct prompt. You will soon learn that hacking alone will not solve absolutely all of your problems, as you need to make use of all your abilities to see yourself to success.
Even when you use a healing item, it takes a short time for it to take effect, so you can’t simply power your way through to success. Difficulty can really ramp up, especially in the boss fights, which are usually enormous behemoths with ludicrous health bars. You can adjust the difficulty if the challenge becomes a bit much. In fact, there is a lot of flexibility here, from fair all the way to impossible for those gamers who feel like punching a boulder.
Levelling up comes thick and fast in this game. When you level up through combat, you can put points into specific stats like health, attack and luck to create your desired build. But that’s not all. Crystals dropped by enemies can be used on a skill tree to increase your stats further. And that’s not all. There is a ludicrous amount of weapons and shields to buy from vendors. Provided you have the cash and crafting materials.
It’s recommended to mix these up as often as you can, levelling up each weapon individually and unlocking new moves. Since weapons have a unique feel, trying something new is always fun, even if its stats appear weaker. That’s still not all. You can collect these green crystals to unlock specific new abilities to equip. This includes seeing enemy health, double jumping, weapon buffs and many more.
Lets Craft
You can pause to craft various resources from an easy-to-use recipe book between your battles. Craft food to buff stats, tools to use in dungeons like torches to light up the dark or even craft keys to open chests dropped by enemies. This really is the game that just keeps on giving. Best of all, it doesn’t appear overly complicated or difficult to use.
Save points are also pretty frequent, so you can easily dip in and out of the game, even if you don’t have a lot of time to spare. The combat can be a bit grindy. But I found myself becoming quite addicted to its design. I thoroughly enjoyed smashing my way through hordes of enemies, even if I was repeatedly heading back through the same areas to grind for higher levels.
Rocking Soundtrack
The graphics are ok. You have incredibly detailed paper-like sprites in fantasy-like environments. It doesn’t look like much on its surface but it gets the job done. There is a massive variety of enemy types to encounter from various goblins to insects. NPC models are often repeated in towns, but their dialogue is unique. It’s always nice to see an RPG where your appearance actually changes when you equip yourself with new weapons and armour. Sure, the equipped weapon and shield look stuck onto your character, but this is an example of a developer making the most of their limited budget.
What really stood out to me was Astlibra Revision’s outstanding soundtrack. A wide mix of memorable tunes which hit emotional highs during touching story segments to pump up the adrenaline during battles. Yes, this is available on Steam if you want to purchase it separately. The game’s performance was absolutely fine on TV and handheld.
Conclusion: More Than Meets the Eye
Astlilbra Revision is a phenomenal achievement from a solo developer. Addictive combat that makes action RPG grinding fun. It’s a crazy story that will tickle the emotional strings and gameplay that keeps on giving the more you sink time into it. This title keeps you busy for hours and hours, whether you’re tucking in for a long session or only have time to fit in a few minutes. Multiple difficulties make the experience more accessible to a wider audience.
There are small things to nitpick, like odd translations and missions requiring a lot of backtracking through the same areas. However, these are easily overlooked by the deep combat system and an awesome soundtrack. Astlilbra Revision is also a game that should be held up as an example to all budding game designers. You don’t need the best graphics or super powered engine to stand out, just passion for your work. Hopefully, this review will give Astlilbra Revision the attention it deserves.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
